Than follow these tips of advice and you will be heading in the right direction to land that dream job!

Confidence is key! Whenever you are looking for a job and even more so when it is a job that you are very interested in it can be scary, but don’t take yourself out of the mix before it’s even started. Believing in yourself and your abilities and actually take the steps to apply. Of course it can be intimidating applying to a large company or an organization you have dreamed about, but take the chance!

Networking: Most jobs that are available are not posted anywhere; individuals refer those they know to contact the individual in charge of the open position. That is why it is incredibly important to build professional relationships and connections with those within your field and at the company you hope to work at.

This is the first step and one of the most important! Start setting up Informational Interviews and connect with those already in the field.

A Good Fit: Make sure that you research the company you are hoping to gain a job at; you may think that the job is perfect for you but the environment also has to be a good fit. If you get an interview ask the current employees what they like the most about working there and what their favorite part of the job is, this will give you insight into the environment and nature of the company.

Meet the Necessary Qualifications: In order to be suited for the job you have to have necessary experience and qualification or at least be able to speak to how your skills can transfer to the job responsibilities. Do your research on the background of current employees at the company; if their experience matches yours, you are likely to be more qualified for the job. Looking at the minimum qualifications will tell you right away whether you will be given an opportunity or if you need to gain more experience or different credentials.

Check out these References for additional tips:

http://www.lindseypollak.com/archives/how-to-get-a-job-with-your-dream-employer

http://blog.linkedin.com/2012/10/17/how-to-get-a-job-with-your-dream-employer/

https://sumigni.com/how-to-land-a-job-with-your-dream-employer/

Posted by Ciara Lynn, Career Services Intern

Why YOU should get on it:

1. Establish Credibility – Having an account will allow potential employers to look up your profile to learn information not necessarily on your resume. You can add skills to your profile, which people in your network can then endorse, showing employers that other people also value your abilities. Also, employers can see your connections with companies, people, and professional associations, which can build a well-rounded appearance.
2. Build a Professional Network – LinkedIn allows you to connect with professionals within your field, whether you know them or not, with prior or current employers and coworkers, as well as classmates. Many of these connections can speak to your abilities, and may be able to give you professional advice or provide a connection for a potential job opportunity.
3. Learn about Companies – Use LinkedIn when you are applying for jobs or are preparing for interviews to learn about the company and the people who work there, to show you have done your homework. Or research companies and you may find awesome job opportunities, or make new connections. You can even use your connections to ask questions about companies that you wouldn’t necessarily be able to during an interview, such as, “Did/Do you like working for the company?” or “What do you dislike about your work?”
4. Discover New Opportunities – Your network (people and companies) have tons of knowledge just waiting to be called upon. You can start a discussion feed or create an update asking for opportunity information. Also, the more connections you make, the broader your network will get and the greater possibility for opportunities to arise when you aren’t even looking for them.
5. To be Found – It is nice to be able to be found by potential employers online, especially when you are building your network, and when you are prepared to make a great impression. Most of us would much rather an employer find our LinkedIn account than our Facebook or Twitter accounts, even if you have them private, or manage your content.

If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, you should definitely think about making one, especially since you will only benefit from it, and it doesn’t take much time to create or manage. LinkedIn provides many training tutorials to help you get started!

Posted by Sami Kerzel, Career Services Assistant

1. Start in the office of your college or university’s career services office. Use your career services office resources to help you step foot in the right direction to finding an on campus job or internship.

2. Partake in one or more internships. By participating in internships you gain valuable experience and ultimately they help you to decide whether you want to stay on that career path or possibly switch if you aren’t enjoying it. OSU’s Spring Career Fair takes place on Tuesday, April 23rd, 2013 and it is a great place to find out about internship opportunities!

3. Find a job on campus. Several places hire students on campus such as the dining centers, residence halls, the recreation center, advising offices, etc. Check out “On Campus Jobs” section of the Career Services website for strategies to finding one at OSU.

4.  Volunteer. This will help you to gain valuable experience, make a difference in the community, and to gain new network contacts. Check out the Center for Civic Engagement at OSU for volunteer opportunities.

5. Join student organizations. Every college has multiple organizations, so find one or two that interest you. They often help students gain management and leadership skills while collaborating with peers to organize various projects.

6. Capitalize on class projects. Students often downplay the importance of class projects to prospective employers. The end product can often be used in a portfolio to show at an interview and large, term length projects show dedication and organization skills to the employer as well. Check out this example of how to demonstrate class projects on your resume.

7. Undergraduate research. Try to participate in research in your academic department to learn more about what it is they study. This is extremely beneficial to students looking into applying/attending graduate school.

References:

http://www.career.vt.edu/Experience.html

http://www.quintcareers.com/15_college-work-experience_tips.html

Posted by Carly Larson, Career Services Assistant

In fact, rather than being sad if you’re single this Valentine’s Day, take it as a chance to make the choice to change your attitude about the holiday. Being positive and not taking for granted all the good things you have going for you will undoubtedly become apparent in other aspects of your life, such as at work and at school. Take the time to appreciate your coworkers, schoolmates, professors, and bosses. It’s so much easier to be happy if you dwell on the positives rather than the negatives, and positivity can take you a long way in your professional development.

Also, holidays such as Valentine’s Day can offer valuable lessons when it comes to things like the job search or maybe advancement within your current career. Giving the same care and attention to your professional development as you would to your significant other can result in huge payoffs in the end.

Tailor your resume. Just like you wouldn’t give a regifted item to your significant other, don’t reuse the same resume/cover letter. Every time you turn in your resume, you should look it over and make sure it’s relevant to the position you’re applying for. You can even go so far as to use some of the specific language that’s in the original job description, to make sure that it’s obvious that you’re a good fit for the position.

Dress to impress. You probably wouldn’t go out for a romantic Valentine’s dinner without looking your best, so approach interviews as opportunities to “woo” the employer. Dressing your best to make a great first impression is almost as important as the entire rest of the interview.

Stand out. Let’s face it: flowers and chocolate aren’t exactly the most original gifts to give on Valentine’s Day. To really make the occasion memorable, you have to think outside the box. The same thing applies to your career: in order to get the job or be recognized for your hard work at your current job, you have to make the effort to stand out among your peers.

Be proactive. Relationships usually don’t just happen, they take a certain amount of work to initiate and keep going. Likewise, a career won’t just happen without any effort on your part. Take the extra step to follow up after you turn in your resume and after an interview so that you maximize your chances of standing out among your competition.

With these tips in mind, I hope you have a successful Valentine’s Day and some new ideas about your professional development!

Reference: http://spisolutions.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/valentines1.jpg

Posted by Deirdre Newton, Career Services Assistant

I spent my formative college years doing all the right things – playing a club sport, working part-time jobs, applying for summer internships, getting good grades – and yet when I began to look for a job in my field – History – I found myself at a loss. I had labored under the impression that if I chose a major in an area that I enjoyed, there would be jobs in that field awaiting me upon graduation. Boy was I wrong.

After an initial and unsuccessful search, I realized that if I wanted to work, I needed to look for jobs that, while not necessarily in my academic field, required the same sorts of skill set that I already possessed. Though history is perhaps not the most glamorous or specific major, I knew that the skills I had learned in my classes covered a variety of areas that could help me to land a job. Though I would no longer be writing history papers or reading vast amounts of text, I knew that the skills that I had learned in those courses were transferable and could help me succeed.

To many, a history paper is bogged down with names, dates, and places, and offers little outside of an academic setting. However, I knew that they included much more. Time management, research and writing skills, and creating concise and influential arguments were all important lessons that could be transferred to other fields. The work it requires to successfully research and write a paper – for any class or major – is not one that should be viewed lightly. It takes a great deal of intelligence, self-discipline, and effort to succeed in college, and employers know that. All employers look for employees that can work with a team and independently, can organize their thoughts and their tasks to stay on track, and who remain vigilant and detail oriented to get the job done. In every major, though these skills are not explicitly taught, they are always gained.

Though I did not receive my dream job right out of college, I know that the skills I learned in and out of the classroom during my undergraduate years prepared me to succeed in a variety of disciplines. With the experience I gained in those jobs, I was able to strengthen my résumé, obtain an understanding of a variety of disciplines, and create professional contacts that eventually helped me obtain a job in my desired field.

Post by Peter Rumbles, Career Services Assistant and Oregon State University Graduate Student

1. Go the Extra Mile: While the Customer may not always be right, with the ability to blog about poor service, bad food, or just about anything these days, it is important to make sure customers are completely satisfied. This means going the extra mile, and doing everything you can to say yes. If someone asks where something is in the store, walk them to it and try to answer any further questions they may have. However, don’t make a promise you can’t keep, but let them know you will do everything you can to help them.
2. Greet and Welcome Customers: By greeting and welcoming customers to your establishment you establish good rapport. If you ask customers if you can help them with anything to begin with, you will save yourself the hassle of trying to help an impatient, angry customer later, and get rid of the awkwardness of them trying to get your attention. However, make sure you give them space, suffocating customers with enthusiastic help when all they wish is to figure it out themselves typically has negative effects.
3. Know Your Customers: If you work at a place that gets lots of repeat customers, try to learn their names, or at least show that you recognize them. If someone always comes in and orders a nonfat soy latté every morning, ask them if they want their usual rather than them feel unrecognized and having to tell you every time.
4. Know How to Handle Customer Complaints: Learn your company’s policies about complaints and unhappy customers, often times they dictate how you handle situations or tell you who you should direct them to instead. Sometimes you cannot solve all complaints; however, giving these customers your attention may be all they really need. Remember to always remain calm during these situations, getting angry and worked up will only cause a bigger scene and draw other customers’ attention.
5. Listen to Your Customers: Make sure you listen and understand what your customers need, be part of the conversation appropriately and ask questions if you do not understand. There is nothing more frustrating as a customer than having to repeat yourself after realizing you were not being listened to. Also, if you cannot answer a question they have, make sure to find someone else who can or figure out the answer yourself.
6. Know How to Apologize: It can be hard, especially with rude customers, but apologizing could help you keep a customer. Again, customers may not always be right, but recognizing a problem will satisfy them.
7. Treat Employees and Coworkers Well: Make sure to treat those you work with well, and as you wish to be treated by your boss. Employees are likely to treat customers the way they are being treated as well, so happy employees and coworkers mean happy customers.
8. Sometimes our customers become our future employers or a potential connection. I know someone who has direct experience with this…when she was in college she worked at Starbucks and since there were many repeat customers, the customers got to know her and her work ethic. One customer gave my friend her business card and said that my friend would be excellent in banking and would give her a referral if she were interested. Just demonstrates that everyone is a potential employer!
9. We are All Customers: At some point in time we are all customers, thus when giving customer service to others think about how you would want to be treated in the same situation. Picture yourself on the other side of a malfunctioning product and how frustrated you would be, then picture how much happier you would be if someone went the extra mile for you.

Posted by Sami Kerzel, Career Services Assistant

Michelle V. Rafter from the SecondAct blog wrote a great article about using Pinterest to get a job. See the 10 tips below….

You might think of Pinterest as another way to kill time online when you should be doing something more important. Millions of early adopters put the 2-year-old social network on the map doing just that — sharing pictures of cute outfits, cool home interiors and exotic travel destinations.

Now that 11.7 million people and companies are using it, though, Pinterest is emerging as an online tool that job seekers can use to market themselves and explore potential careers, industries and employers.

Pinterest lets you save photos or images from news stories, blog posts or other online content in the form of pins that are organized into folders called boards. You can follow other people and re-pin, comment or “Like” their pins. You also can link your Pinterest boards to your accounts on Facebook or Twitter.

“If you’re in a creative or design field, it’s an amazing place to build a portfolio or create a visual resume,” says Annie Favreau, managing editor at InsideJobs.com, a career exploration website.

Here’s how to use Pinterest for a job search:

1. Optimize your Pinterest profile. Adjust account settings to allow your profile to appear in results of searches on Google and other search engines. Load your profile description with keywords that match the job you want. Include a recent photograph and links to your website or LinkedIn profile so potential employers can learn more about you. Here’s one example of a Pinterest resume, from a Harvard Business School student who hopes it’ll lead to a job with the online network.

2. Set up an online resume and portfolio. Gather samples of your work onto one or more boards to use as an online resume. Don’t get cute with labels; call your resume board “My Resume” or something similar so it’s easy to find. Pinterest is especially useful if you work in photography, architecture, interior design or other creative fields, “because it has this strong emphasis on the visuals. It’s one more access point into your work,” Favreau says. But anyone can use the site to create an online portfolio. Just make sure that the resume or portfolio you’re linking back to has an image you can pin. This San Francisco Chronicle story shares how one Bay Area marketing manager uses Pinterest to showcase his current and previous jobs.

3. Dedicate a board to careers you’re curious about. If you’re searching for your next act, use Pinterest to find information on jobs or careers. Use the search box — located in the upper left-hand corner of the site’s front page — to enter related words or phrases. Pin anything that comes up that you want to save for future reference.

4. Create boards for companies or industries you’d like to know better. Pinterest can give you a glimpse into a company’s culture that you can’t get from reading their “About Us” page, Favreau says. “If they’re sharing Instagram pictures of their office, you won’t find that a whole lot of other places,” she says.

5. Follow experts. Keep up with employment trends by following the university career centers, jobs websites, outplacement specialists and career coaches that have set up shop on Pinterest. SecondAct has a board dedicated to all things work-related called Get a Job. I’ve also created a Job Hunting and Careers board with pointers to my stories here and other resources. Favreau also recommends following Career Bliss, BrazenCareerist, and Lea McLeod, a Portland, Ore., career expert who works with midcareer and other professionals.

6. Leave comments. Strike up a conversation with a career expert or someone who works in a field you’re interested in by commenting on one of their pins. As with any other type of online or real-world networking, you never know where it could lead.

7. Wander around. Do some browsing to see what’s out there. “If you’re constantly coming back to the same area, or something keeps popping out at you, if might be worth exploring” as a career option, Favreau says. She also recommends using the site as a mental boost for your job-hunting efforts, and created a Career Inspirations board for that reason.

8. Protect your work. If you’re sharing photography or other original work on your boards, use watermarks to protect individual images just as you would when displaying them on other websites. You want your work to be out there, but it pays to be on your guard, Favreau says.

9. Be professional. If all you do on Pinterest is share pictures of puppies, think twice about sharing your Pinterest profile with potential employers. “But if you are using it for a job search, it is an impression of who you are, so when you’re creating your boards, make sure they line up with your professional appearance,” she says.

10. Watch out for spammers. The bigger Pinterest grows, the more spammers it’s attracting. To prevent unwittingly passing along spam disguised as a normal pin, be sure to click through on images to see where they lead before re-pinning them. Don’t click on pins that look like ads or giveaways, which Pinterest doesn’t offer or condone. Here’s what else you can to do to avoid Pinterest spammers.

A final word about Pinterest: It can be extremely habit-forming. “I set myself to short periods of time, like 15 minutes, because although it can be an amazing tool, it’s also a distraction,” Favreau says. “It’s so easy to [lose track of time] it’s kind of shocking.”

Have you used Pinterest in your job search? If so, please share with us how you used it to market yourself?

SecondAct contributor Michelle V. Rafter writes about business and workplace issues for a variety of national publications. She is based in Portland, Oregon.

When searching for jobs online oftentimes you will mainly find jobs posted that require years of experience. But what about recent graduates? Where do they find jobs? Here is a list of search engines for recent grads or people looking for entry-level work (these can also be found on the OSU Career Services website):

Beaver JobNet – many entry-level jobs and employers are specifically wanting to hire Beavers!

CollegeGrad.com – great site with entry-level job postings and advice on the job search including information about finding employers hiring, application materials, accepting an offer, and more!

College.Recruiter.com – find jobs and internships and find out what companies tend to post on this site.

Experience.com – find jobs and internships and lots of job search advice.

LinkedIn’s Student Job Portal – jobs for students and recent graduates.

Monster College – Monster is a large job search database but they have a special sub category for college students. Learn about jobs and get interview tips from experts, network with other entry-level job seekers, and share job seeker resources, advice, and stories.

Networking - not a website but what you should be spending most of your time doing to find a job.

Any other entry-level job search sites you recommend? Any strategies you suggest to finding an entry-level job?

Jen Busick, Career Advisor & Outreach Coordinator at Oregon State University advises students about internships and the job search, applying to graduate school, resumes/cover letters, and interviewing. She also organizes and updates resources, manages social media for Career Services and coordinates outreach opportunities. She enjoys working with students in coming up with a plan to finding a job and assisting them with figuring out the next steps. She has a lot of international experience, including the Peace Corps, study abroad, and independent travel.

Question: I am trying to login to the Beaver JobNet site in preparation for my arrival at OSU in the fall.  I have been using my ONID username and password and each time it takes me to a registration page where I fill in my address and graduation information.  Once I hit submit, it just takes me back to the login page again.  I did this several times and still haven’t been able to access the site.  Is there a step I am missing?  And how do I get past the registration page?

This is happening because you currently do not have an account  in Beaver JobNet. We can get you set up with an account, just email cheryl.l.herring@oregonstate.edu and in the email provide your full name (first, middle, last), student ID# and your ONID email address, and she would be happy to create an account for you.

Question: Can I use my OSU GPA instead of the overall GPA on Beaver JobNet?

Beaver JobNet uses the overall GPA as employers want the more complete picture of the applicant.  If there is additional information you want to provide for the employer to consider, you can contact them outside of Beaver JobNet and present it for their consideration.  If the contact information is not visible on the job posting, it is because they have elected not to be contacted directly, only through the application means they have specified. Also, we encourage you to upload a resume and “opt-in” to having it available for approved employers to view. Your resume is a great place to showcase only the GPA you want highlighted, whether that be just your OSU GPA, your major’s GPA (not including Bac. Core), etc.

If you have any other questions regarding Beaver JobNet or other career related topics, please contact us at career.services@oregonstate.edu or come on by Monday-Thursday between 1-4pm and we can answer any questions and help you out. We are located in the basement of the Kerr Administration Building, B008.

Jen Busick, Career Advisor & Outreach Coordinator at Oregon State University advises students about internships and the job search, applying to graduate school, resumes/cover letters, and interviewing. She also organizes and updates resources, manages social media for Career Services and coordinates outreach opportunities. She enjoys working with students in coming up with a plan to finding a job and assisting them with figuring out the next steps. She has a lot of international experience, including the Peace Corps, study abroad, and independent travel.

First off, you are not alone. It often takes a few months to find a job which is something many people do not realize. On the other hand, it is important to continuously reflect on the job search process and evaluate what you can be doing better or more effectively. Here are some of the reasons why you may not be getting any calls after you submit your application:

• Have you been tailoring your resume for each job? First thing I would do is re-evaluate your resume. Has it been critiqued by multiple people such as career center staff, someone who works in the industry you are applying, a friend who is good at editing, etc.? It is always beneficial to have 3 or more people look at your resume. Also, you always, always, always need to tailor your resume to each job you apply for. It is pretty obvious when an employer receives a resume that is used for all job applications and that is not impressive. Keep in mind that most resumes get 15 seconds of the recruiter’s attention, so it needs to be easy to read, clear, concise, and make them want to read more about you! Check out this video for quick tips on resume writing and check out the Career Services website resume section for examples and more tips.
• Are you following up? It is important that you follow up after submitting a job application, but you should do so only once by email and to make sure to be unobtrusive. Alison Green from Ask a Manager says, You can do that by sending a quick email saying something like this: “I submitted my application for your __ position last week, and I just wanted to make sure my materials were received. I also want to reiterate my interest in the position; I think it might be a great match, and I’d love to talk with you about it when you’re ready to begin scheduling interviews.” That highlights your interest without interrupting the employer or demanding an immediate response.
• Are you spending most of your time applying online? Many people make the mistake of spending all their time online when it comes to the job search. 10% of your time should be spent online while 90% of your time should be spent on networking! Many jobs aren’t even posted (like 80%) and therefore it is all about getting referred or knowing someone. So, applying online is one strategy but make sure you are also networking…you will probably get a much better response rate!
• Have you been networking? This is follow up from the question above. We are told to network but how do you do that? First, let all of your friends, family, acquaintances, professors, advisors, etc. know that you are looking for a job and give them some specific details such as the industry, any companies or organizations you want to work for, job titles, etc. It is hard to help someone find a job if you aren’t able to communicate to your network what kind of job you want. Also, try connecting with people who work where you want to work by doing informational interviews. This is a great way to find out information that you won’t find online. You may also want to join a professional association in your industry to meet people with your interests and definitely join LinkedIn. Find out more about networking using social media.
• Is your online identity professional? Many employers are learning more about you by searching for you online. Make sure whatever they find is clean and professional. If they don’t like what they see, they won’t call you for an interview. So, clean up your profile on Facebook, be careful what you post, set high privacy settings, and get on LinkedIn since it is a more professional social media tool.

If you still aren’t sure why you may not be getting any calls and you are an OSU student or alum, then make a career counseling appointment with  Career Services. We can help you come up with some job search strategies.

Any other suggestions why someone may not be getting any call backs after submitting applications? Anyone have some tips for someone experiencing this frustration? How have you found jobs?

Jen Busick, Career Advisor & Outreach Coordinator at Oregon State University advises students about internships and the job search, applying to graduate school, resumes/cover letters, and interviewing. She also organizes and updates resources, manages social media for Career Services and coordinates outreach opportunities. She enjoys working with students in coming up with a plan to finding a job and assisting them with figuring out the next steps. She has a lot of international experience, including the Peace Corps, study abroad, and independent travel.